Moving over to the dark side: academic or academic administrator?

As an academic for over 25 years, I have lived and breathed teaching and research. It’s been my career lifeblood. So why did I choose to move to an academic administrative position – or “the dark side”, as perceived by my colleagues? 

This divide between academics and administrators is encapsulated in the satirical Peter Principle, developed by Peter and Hull in 1969. The principle states that within hierarchical organisations, people are promoted based on their previous success. Subsequent promotion ultimately leads to people occupying roles for which they no longer have competence. The greater the length of time that an administrator has been absent from “the action” (whether that’s the field or the laboratory or the classroom), working their way up the promotional ladder, the more their academic knowledge and experience will be devalued by those who have remained.

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I have encountered this view, that my new position has distanced me from what other academics think of as the real world. A contributing factor is simply institutional geography. Administrative units are often physically separated from the hustle and bustle of student-centric university life. I am now located in Block C2 – the quiet, cold, sterile management wing of the campus – the ivory tower within the ivory tower. 

So what was I thinking? I now lead an institutional unit that impacts the quality of learning and teaching across the whole institution. I can influence institutional change at scale, through the shaping of policy, culture and practice. I have been able to develop an effective and cohesive team who inspire me. These were the motivators.

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My world has expanded and this has provided me with huge opportunities for continuing professional growth. I have left the comfort zone of my discipline, to learn about many other disciplines looking for connections and divergence. I am connecting with mathematicians, doctors, political scientists, English language instructors, postdoctoral fellows, teaching assistants, provosts, counsellors and student government. I am gaining insights from a range of perspectives that enable me to see and experience my institution in new ways. 

And I haven’t abandoned my passion for teaching or my love of interacting with students, it’s just that my student audience is different. I now teach my colleagues through the delivery of professional learning courses. These are not cohorts of people that pass through my life, but people with whom I have continuing relationships, and opportunities to impact their learning experiences and the learning experiences they provide to others, over a much longer period. There is a sense that my impact has a cascading effect, influencing others to influence others. 

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But there are drawbacks. I’ve traded the generous academic recreational leave for a more limited management leave schedule. My days and weeks have a different rhythm, no longer punctuated by assessments, grading and research data collection. I can breathe a sigh of relief while my former colleagues are drowning under lengthy term papers, but in turn I experience death by endless meetings and administrative documentation on some days. 

For me, the decision to move from an academic role into an academic administrative role represents a logical next step in my career. I can use the skills and knowledge I’ve developed, but the role allows me to apply those skills in a broader, new context. It enables me to keep growing professionally. 

And I hope that I won’t lose touch with my roots – that I will be able to retain some authenticity. My plan is to keep connected, through listening to diverse perspectives, to remain approachable, to value the work of others, to be respectful and to demonstrate my philosophy of servant leadership – that leadership is an enabling service – to help others and the institution achieve their goals.

I’m sure others before me have had similar lofty intentions. Perhaps I haven’t been on the dark side long enough to be eaten up by the shadows. 

Elaine Sharplin is general director of the Center for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at Nazarbayev University.

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